Tolls in France



Things to know about toll charges in France




Tolls in France

France is not only an expensive holiday destination, but also the tolls in France are high. 

The toll in France is calculated according to the distance driven and the vehicle class, which is due at the toll station. 
With the toll box from maut1.de you can enjoy your trip to France without stopping at the toll station. 

You can drive through the toll station without stopping - because the payment of the motorway tolls takes place automatically.

Information at a glance

  • Almost all French motorways are subject to tolls.
  • On average, you can expect to pay a toll of just under 10 cents per kilometre in France (as of 2024), although significantly more expensive routes can cost up to 21 euros per 100 kilometres.
  • No toll is charged on country roads.
  • For some tunnels and bridges an additional toll has to be paid.

Tolls on French motorways

The entire motorway network in France is operated by different companies and is subject to tolls with a few exceptions. Motorways (A) are marked in blue (subject to tolls), national roads (N) in green and departmental roads (D) in white (both toll-free). 

These toll-exempt routes include some feeder roads, motorways in Alsace, Lorraine, Auvergne and Brittany as well as sections of urban motorways and the bypasses of Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille, including i.e. A10-A25-A23 (Calais - Valenciennes), A20 (Vierzon - Brive-la-Gaillarde), A28 (Abbéville - Rouen), A31 (Luxembourg to Nancy), A34 (Sedan - Reims), A35 (border to Mulhouse/further to Basel), A36 (Mandeure - Bessoncourt), A63 and A660 (Bordeaux - Arcachon), A68 (Garidech - Albi), E70 (Lyon - Saint-Etienne), A75 (Clermont-Ferrand - Montpellier), A75 D789 (Millau-Saint-Germain), A77 (Saint-Père - Sermoise-sur-Loire) and A84 (Caen - Rennes).

To enter environmental zones such as those in Paris, a chargeable environmental sticker is required (city toll). For the "t" lanes a toll box is required, which you can order quickly and easily from us.

Further information on the annual increase in toll charges and the plans for a digital toll system can be found in our maut1.de blog.

French toll stations

In France, there is a difference between closed and an open toll systems.

  • Closed system ➺ A ticket must be taken on entry, which is paid when leaving the motorway. The amount is calculated on the basis of the distance travelled.
  • Open system ➺ On some sections, a flat fee is charged at a toll station regardless of the distance driven.

Lanes are marked according to payment option and staff: 

  • Lanes with a green arrow are available to all categories of vehicles. 
  • At the automatic "cb" booths, only credit card payment is possible. 
  • The lane with a "t" is the quickest way to get through the toll booth. Here you need a toll box, which you can order online from us. This automatically records  the toll charges, which are debited via your deposited means of payment.

There are toll calculators for France on the Internet that you can use to easily calculate the toll costs before travelling. You can also search online for an overview of toll roads in France to calculate the toll costs. Click here for an overview of toll operators in France with a direct link to the respective operator's website, where you can calculate the toll charges for your journey in advance.

☛ Tip!

As there are now hardly any booths with personel at many French toll booths, you should always have cash or a credit card with you. Or even better: use the toll box from maut1!

France Flux-libre / FreeFlow

Instead of stopping at toll stations and paying in cash or by credit card, drivers on FreeFlow routes simply drive through the toll booths (metal arches spanning the motorway without barriers) without stopping. The vehicle's licence plate number is recorded digitally and the corresponding charges are billed electronically. 

The toll box from maut1.de can be conveniently used to register the FreeFlow systems in France. 

Drivers without a toll box have 72 hours after travelling on a FreeFlow route to pay the toll (online or at special terminals). 

In France, all FreeFlow routes are labelled with the additional sign "Péage Flux Libre". The FreeFlow system is already in use on these routes: 

  • A79 motorway between Montmarault (Allier/Auvergne) and Digoin (Saône-et-Loire/Bourgogne). 
  • A4 motorway (Paris-Strasbourg): Boulay exit 

According to the French motorway operator Sanef, the system is to be installed on the A13 by 2027 and will make the toll stations on the route between Paris and Caen redundant.

Amount of the motorway toll: vehicle categories

There are five different vehicle categories in France.

Class 1
Cars up to 2 m in overall height and under 3.5 tonnes
Class 2
Vehicles with a height between 2 and 3 m
Class 3
Vehicles over 3 metres high with 2 axles
Class 4
Vehicles over 3 metres high with 3 or more axles
Class 5
Motorcycles and trikes

Toll box from maut1.de: Your advantages

Long waiting times at the toll station? Not with our toll box! Thanks to our toll box, you can simply drive past France's toll stations - because the charges are recorded automatically. This way you avoid the traffic jam at the toll station and we take care of the payment.

The advantages at a glance:

Convinced? Then order our toll box conveniently online now!

Additional tolls in France

In France, the bridges Ile de Ré, Pont de Normandie, Pont de Tancarville and the Viaduc de Millau can be charged via the maut1.de toll box.

These tunnels in France cost an additional toll per vehicle class, which cannot be paid with the toll box, but must be paid separately on site.

Tunnels subject to tolls

  • Fréjus road tunnel (France-Italy)
  • Mont Blanc road tunnel (France-Italy) - Information on the renovation of the Mont Blanc Tunnel
  • Maurice Lemaire tunnel
  • Tunnel de Puymorens
  • Prado Carénage Tunnel Marseille
  • Prado Sud Tunnel Marseille
  • Tunnel Duplex A86

City toll in France

In France, there are so-called environmental zones in several cities, so that the environmental sticker Crit'Air, which is subject to a fee, is required. While some environmental zones are permanent and affect large metropolitan areas, others are temporary. Temporary environmental zones only apply for a short period of time after certain concentrations of air pollutants have been exceeded. The measures are known as "Circulation différenciée" and have so far been defined in Paris, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, Strasbourg and Toulouse, as well as in many départements. To enter environmental zones, Crit'Air (certificat qualité de l'air) environmental stickers are required for a fee. Vehicles without a sticker are not allowed to drive.

Other French metropolitan regions are also planning to introduce ZFE-m environmental zones, for example Aix-en-Provence, Clermont Ferrand, Montpellier, Nice, Toulon and Toulouse. Travellers should find out about the current situation in the travel region in question before starting their journey and, if necessary, purchase a Crit'Air badge.

Tollbox from maut1.de - relaxed driving through France

No traffic jams, no stopping and no ticketing: Our toll box makes it possible! So you can drive through the french toll stations without waiting - because payment of the motorway tolls takes place automatically. 

Cars and vehicles in categories 1, 2 and 5 can use our toll box in France as well as in ItalyPortugalSpain and Croatia (without Istria). Vehicles in categories 3 and 4 require our toll box for large motorhomes, which can also be used in Austria.

Do you have any other questions? You may be able to find the answer to your question in our FAQ section or contact us.

In the maut1.de blog you will find more tips and advice from the maut1.de team as well as additional travel information for your next holiday.

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